141  
FXUS65 KBYZ 260727  
AFDBYZ  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT  
127 AM MDT SUN JUL 26 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- HOT AND MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS INTO MONDAY.  
 
- ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY.  
 
- HEAVY SMOKE SETTLES ACROSS THE REGION TODAY, REDUCTIONS TO  
VISIBILITY AND AIR QUALITY ARE POSSIBLE.  
 
- ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING CAPABLE  
OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH.  
 
- LOW RISK (10-30%) OF DAILY THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF  
THE WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY...  
 
LINGERING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MAKE THEIR WAY  
EAST THIS MORNING, WITH THE MAIN IMPACTS BEING GUSTY WINDS IN THE  
40 TO 50 MPH RANGE.  
 
MODELS ARE DEPICTING HEAVY SMOKE SETTLING ACROSS THE REGION  
TODAY, WITH REDUCTIONS TO VISIBILITY DEPICTED. AREAS OF SMOKE HAVE  
BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE FORECAST. THIS COULD LIMIT MAXIMUM DAYTIME  
HEATING AND DIMINISH THE LOWEST EXTENT OF MINIMUM RH VALUES. TAKE  
NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IF YOU HAVE VULNERABILITIES TO SMOKE.  
 
HOT AND MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST THE REST OF TODAY, WITH  
HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 90S AND LOW 100SF. HEAT ADVISORIES  
CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTHERN MONTANA AND PORTIONS OF NORTHERN WYOMING  
THROUGH THIS EVENING. EXTREME HEAT WARNINGS CONTINUE THROUGH  
MONDAY EVENING FROM FOR COUNTIES EAST OF AND INCLUDING ROSEBUD.  
 
AN ADDITIONAL WAVE WILL BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE  
REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STORMS DO NOT LOOK TO BE ALL  
TOO STRONG, THOUGH INVERTED-V SOUNDINGS INDICATE THE CHANCE FOR  
STRONG AND ERRATIC WIND GUSTS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. MINIMUM  
RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL BE LOW, IN THE TEENS AND 20S  
PERCENT. LOOK FOR WIDESPREAD ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS,  
THOUGH WEAKER WINDS WILL HELP MITIGATE WORSE FIRE WEATHER  
CONDITIONS.  
 
RIDGING LARGELY CONTINUES THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK, WITH HIGHS IN  
THE 90S TO LOW 100SF. THERE LOOKS TO BE LOW CHANCES (10-40  
PERCENT) FOR AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE WEEK,  
WITH THE MAIN CONCERNS BEING GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN.  
PWAT VALUES REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY,  
100-150% ABOVE NORMAL BEFORE DROPPING NEXT WEEKEND.  
 
A PATTERN CHANGE MAY COME ABOUT EARLY NEXT WEEK, AS A FEW MODELS  
DEPICT A POTENTIAL RIDGE CRASHER. THIS COULD FINALLY BRING HIGH  
TEMPERATURES DOWN TOWARDS NORMALS, IN THE 80SF. CONTINUE TO  
MONITOR THE FORECAST AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH THE WEEK.  
 
MATOS  
   
AVIATION  
 
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED WEAK THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE  
TO SLIDE EAST INTO THE DAKOTAS INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. LOCAL  
MVFR IS EXPECTED WITH ANY HEAVIER SHOWERS. VFR WILL OTHERWISE  
PREVAIL. EXPECT ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY  
CLOSE TO THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
LOCALLY MODERATE RAIN AND GUSTY AND ERRATIC WIND GUSTS ARE  
POSSIBLE WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. SMOKE FROM WILDFIRES OVER THE  
PACIFIC NW WILL SPREAD OVER THE AREA TODAY, BRINGING SLANT RANGE  
VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS AND SOME SURFACE VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS. STP  
 
 
   
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS  
 
TDY MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT  
-------------------------------------------------------  
BIL 099 068/097 067/100 067/098 066/099 066/100 067/102  
2/T 20/B 10/U 11/B 20/U 11/U 10/G  
LVM 095 059/095 058/097 059/095 057/098 058/099 059/101  
4/T 41/B 30/U 11/U 21/U 10/U 00/G  
HDN 100 065/098 065/101 065/099 064/100 064/100 065/103  
0/K 20/B 20/G 11/U 21/U 12/T 10/G  
MLS 101 069/101 069/102 070/102 069/099 068/101 068/103  
0/G 20/G 21/G 13/T 21/U 11/G 10/G  
4BQ 100 069/100 069/100 069/099 068/097 067/099 068/101  
0/K 21/B 11/U 34/T 22/T 11/U 10/G  
BHK 101 065/101 065/100 065/101 064/097 063/098 063/100  
0/G 22/T 11/U 24/T 42/T 22/T 20/U  
SHR 097 063/095 062/097 063/096 061/096 061/097 061/100  
2/K 22/B 11/U 12/T 21/U 11/U 11/U  
 
 
   
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
MT...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR ZONES  
29-30-34-42-56-57-63-66-138-139-141-169-170-172-173-228-235.  
EXTREME HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT MONDAY FOR  
ZONES 31>33-36-37-58.  
WY...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR ZONE  
199.  
 
 
 
 
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